Author: Wisconsin Muslim Journal

The 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, which celebrated the end of World War I, was observed with a special program at Milwaukee City Hall on November 11. The event was a reminder of the day, that now honors veterans, was originally established as a day to promote world peace. More than one hundred people gathered on the Centennial anniversary that nearly eliminated a generation from Europe. Referred to as the Great War at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, World War I was thought to be the “war to end all wars.” It formally concluded on the 11th hour...

Janan Najeeb, president of the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition, was one of the featured speakers at the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, held at Milwaukee City Hall on November 11 to remember the tragedies of World War I and the call for peace in its aftermath. Najeeb talked about events from World War I, also known as The Great War, that were not as widely reported. Modern history books mostly focus on American and European soldiers, and their related involvement. In reality, battles were fought across many countries and against diverse populations. For example, hundreds of thousands of Muslims...

The governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar are to push ahead with the repatriation of thousands of Rohingya this week, despite objections by the UN, and against the wishes of the refugees, who spoke of being “terrified” at being sent back. Fear gripped the camps in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh over the news that, without their consent, 4,355 people had been placed on a list of Rohingya approved for return by Myanmar. The first repatriations are due from Thursday, but not everyone who is on the list has been informed and it is unclear how it was compiled. Rohingya refugee...

The Tenth Annual Milwaukee Film Festival hosted a range of motion pictures that celebrated the diversity of the Arab-Muslim community, from October 18 to November 1. Films were selected across a range of topics and groups from Palestinians to Somali-Americans, and old-age traditions to new-age issues. The festival showcased all these unique stories and their combined and interwoven struggles. Muslim representation in the mass media is an ongoing challenge. With the help of local partners such as the Muslim Community & Health Center (MCHC), and Marquette University Department of Social and Cultural Sciences, the festival was able to provide...

Perhaps the path to end terrorism begins with abandoning it as a term we selectively deploy and actively distort. A white gunman walks into a synagogue outside of Pittsburgh and guns down 11 congregants after screaming, “All Jews must die!” during Sabbath services. Another self-identifying white male sends a string of “mail bombs” to democratic leaders and journalists from his hometown in Florida, emboldened by nativist fervor and presidential rhetoric. “Whites don’t shoot whites,” reveals another gunman, amid a racially motivated shooting outside of a Kentucky grocery store that left two elderly Black customers dead. Three separate incidents, in...

It is not uncommon for residents of America’s most heavily policed neighborhoods to describe their local cops as “an occupying force.” Judging by where many U.S. police forces get their training, the description seems apt. Thousands of American law enforcement officers frequently travel for training to one of the few countries where policing and militarism are even more deeply intertwined than they are here: Israel. U.S. police departments from small and large cities, such as Boca Raton, Boston, Chicago, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. have sent delegates to Israel for instruction. While there has been increased examination of American connections...